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All health care providers in Minnesota must implement certified, interoperable electronic health records systems by 2015, under a 2007 law. General dentists, oral surgeons and orthodontists are subject to the law. Practices whose patient population is 30% Medicaid beneficiaries may be eligible for federal financial assistance.

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As of today, Minnesota dog and cat breeders must obtain an annual license to continue breeding their animals. The law applies to anyone with 10 or more unsterilized animals who is breeding to sell or exchange the offspring. The Minnesota Board of Animal Health will inspect facilities before breeders can be licensed.

This week, a Minnesota law regulating dog and cat breeders goes into effect. The law requires breeders to register with the state Board of Animal Health, and starting in 2015, breeders must obtain a license. The law is an attempt to establish clear standards and ensure humane treatment of animals.

Minnesota's modified version of the 2010 Suitability in Annuity Transaction Model Regulation by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners has become law. The state's version provides more-specific standards for the evaluation of unsuitable products prior to sale, according to the state Commerce Department. The law passed without the signature of the governor, who said he vetoed a similar bill last year. States must have laws that meet or surpass NAIC standards this month if they wish to continue supervising annuity sales.

Some dentists in Minnesota have doubts that the state's newly graduated midlevel providers will have much effect on access to care, according to a survey presented at a American Association for Dental Research meeting. Seventy-two percent of dentists in the state said midlevel providers, or dental therapists, would have no impact on access to care, and 45% of safety-net providers said they would hire dental therapists. "Once they're working in the community, support for them will increase," said Christine Blue, director of dental hygiene at the University of Minnesota.

Minnesota House members on both sides of the aisle are backing a measure that would establish a health insurance exchange in the state. The federal health care law requires states to set up the exchanges by 2014. If states don't set up the systems, the federal government will step in.